Pinellas deputies: driver so drunk she went to hospital, not jail

DUNEDIN — Pinellas sheriff's deputies arrested a woman that they said was so drunk they had to send her to the hospital instead of jail.

The incident took place on Nov. 23, but driver Candace Rhul Spathelf wasn't arrested on a charge of felony driving under the influence until Tuesday.

It was a felony charge because she has two previous DUI convictions, according to deputies.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said that last month callers to 911 reported a 2004 Mazda driving erratically, striking the curb while braking and accelerating along southbound Belcher Road.

Deputies pulled the vehicle over at Virginia Street and Patricia Avenue at 6 p.m. They said the driver, Spathelf, was unable to stand up or walk, according to deputies.

But instead of arresting her, they called for paramedics. The driver was taken by Dunedin Fire Rescue to the Mease Dunedin Hospital emergency room.

"They were concerned about her condition," said sheriff's spokeswoman Marianne Pasha.

According to the Sheriff's Office, a blood sample taken at the hospital revealed that Spathelf had a blood-alcohol level as high as 0.404 at the time of the incident.

That's more than five times the level of 0.08 at which Florida law presumes a driver is impaired. It's a dangerously high level that can lead to unconsciousness or even death.

According to the Sheriff's Office, her two prior DUI convictions were in 1996 and 2006. Spathelf, 51, was released on her own recognizance from the Pinellas County Jail on Wednesday.